


could you be the silver lining

by 27babyducks27



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Canon? Logic? I don't know them, Hannibal is either dead or in prison that's up to the reader ❤️, I Tried, I only wrote this because I wanted something not dark and tragic for Chilton, Just gonna change the tag to kinda ooc, M/M, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26661868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/27babyducks27/pseuds/27babyducks27
Summary: This is 100% inspired by bardolatrie's art. Please accept my meager offering.Disclaimer: For my own mental health I did not watch season 3 so if there are any timeline or canon mistakes,, my bad?
Relationships: Dr. Frederick Chilton/Will Graham
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47





	could you be the silver lining

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bardolatrie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bardolatrie/gifts).



> This is 100% inspired by bardolatrie's art. Please accept my meager offering. 
> 
> Disclaimer: For my own mental health I did not watch season 3 so if there are any timeline or canon mistakes,, my bad?

The first time Chilton comes to visit him, he hands him a copy of his book with a smile on his face that borders on smug. 

Will doesn't hesitate to slam the door right in his face. 

  
  
  


The second time, it's with flowers and an apology for not realizing how insensitive his previous gesture might have been. He accepts the flowers, offers Chilton a drink and makes sure he's off his property in less than twenty minutes. The flowers are beautiful and they stay alive for several days before he has to throw them away. 

The third time it's because Chilton 'accidentally' left his scarf here the last time. He could call him out on the obvious lie, but it's not like he's harming him. Truthfully speaking, he's a little ~~lonely~~ bored. So when a storm just happens to be brewing right as he's leaving, Will suggests that he wait it out. They play some card game he finds lying around the house while the storm rages outside. When it's over, the doctor thanks him and leaves. 

Will isn't very surprised when he shows up again a few days later, a casserole dish wrapped in foil to thank him for his hospitality. It seems appropriate to ask Chilton to stay for dinner. It's something vegan that tastes surprisingly good, and when he tells him that, Chilton's face reddens as he changes the subject. 

The next time Chilton shows up on his doorstep with another feeble excuse, Will waves him inside without second thought. 

* * *

  
  
  
  


Normally he'd never keep someone like Frederick around. He's loud and self absorbed and downright obnoxious and takes losing at card games very badly (which happens a lot, why does he keep suggesting them when he knows he's going to lose?) . 

  
  


But what other option does he have? The few people he considered his friends have all but turned their backs on him. Jack's main topic of conversation is how useful he'd be back on the field, which he wants to avoid at all costs. Alana has been distant for a long time now. He was never that close with Zeller and Price even before Beverly died. That leaves only one other person, and Will never wants to speak to him again even if there were any means to. 

  
  


As much as he wants to avoid people, it's nice to have a relatively friendly face around. He watches as said friendly face tries to wrestle his absurdly expensive shoe from the mouth of his smallest dog. 

  
  


This is my life now, he thinks wryly. 

'Can't you teach them some manners?,' Frederick asks, looking woefully at his now bite-marked shoe. 

'It's just a shoe,' Will shrugs, knowing it'll get a rise out of him. 

'Easy for you to say. Do you even know how expensive this is?,' Frederick looks indignant. Will has to hold back a smirk. 

'I think it's common sense not to wear your best shoes to a place with this many dogs.' 

'You think these are my best shoes?,' Frederick scoffs. 'No, wait. Of course _you_ would.'

'I take offense to that.' He thinks back unwillingly to when he was trying to impress Hannibal. He wouldn't go back to another one of those fancy stores with a gun pressed to his head.

'Really? Name one name brand item in this house,' Frederick challenges. Will has to think about this one. 

'The dog food,' he replies after a minute. 

'Of course the dogs are eating better than the humans here,' Frederick grumbles, 'I didn't know the pay was so bad at the academy.' 

'That money is for my mortgage and fuel needs. Not all of us have best-selling book money to fuel our expensive habits.' At this, Frederick looks at him with a little more interest. 

'You know, I could write a book about you. Make you famous and get you the money you so desperately need.' 

'Yeah, I bet the people are dying to read about a person who was relevant two years ago who lives with seven dogs in the middle of nowhere and has a grand total of one friend.' If Frederick is surprised at the revelation that he considers them friends he doesn't let it show. 

'Is he going to get his groceries from Walmart, or will unforeseen circumstances lead him to shop at a different chain store for his needs?,' he says in a dramatic voice, waving his hands. It's not even funny, but it makes him laugh, and that has been in low supply lately. 

Maybe this is why he keeps him around. It's nice to have someone to talk to that doesn't expect or demand anything of him. And though he wouldn't admit it, Frederick isn't half bad a friend.

* * *

Will groans as he hangs up the fifth time that day. It's just his luck that he has to attend a stupid conference on the weekend that there's no one available to look after the dogs. He briefly thinks about calling Alana, but what would he say? _Hey, I know we don't talk a lot anymore, but can you do this thing for me and when I come back, we can go back to ignoring each other?_

Chilton looks at him in annoyance when he sits back at the dinner table. Will had been on the phone for ten minutes, but that's not his fault, is it? 

'If you didn't want me to be here today you could have just told me that before. Do you know how long I have to drive to get here?' Will knows this is a joke, but it still gets on his nerves. 

'I'm so sorry that the important thing I have to deal with is keeping you from having a nice evening. Next time, I'll be sure my personal matters don't clash with your busy schedule,' Will snaps. 

'Do you need help?,' Chilton asks tentatively after the silence goes on too long , and Will laughs. 

'I don't know. Can you find me someone who's willing to take care of seven dogs this weekend?' He rubs the bridge of his nose, not expecting an answer to that. 

'I could do it.' Will isn't sure if he heard that correctly. 

'I'm sorry, you? No offense, but I didn't take you as much of a dog person.' 

'I can do it.' There's a challenge in Chilton's voice, like he wants to continue this argument. But Will is tired enough already and he accepts before Chilton has the chance to think better of it. 

The whole time Will is driving, he dreads Chilton calling him, telling him it's too much, that he didn't know how much responsibility he was taking on. But his phone doesn't ring once in the drive. Or when he's listening to a never ending sequence of presentations. When he gets to his hotel room, he's more than ready to call it a night, but he needs to know the dogs are doing okay. The phone rings for a while and Chilton picks up just as the call is about to disconnect. 

'How are they?,' Will wastes no time in asking. 

'Hello to you too,' Chilton's sarcasm is almost drowned out by raucous barks, 'They're doing fine, and so am I. Thanks for the con- Buster! No-' Will can hear him running, and it takes him a minute to get back to the call. 

'Sorry about that. They saw a cat and went crazy,' Chilton sounds out of breath. There's other sounds in the background too, sounds he doesn't remember hearing anywhere near his house. 

'Where are you?' 

'At the park. Thought they could use a change of scenery.' The corners of his mouth turn up as he pictures what Chilton looks like right now, seven hyperactive dogs on leashes all pulling in different directions while passersby question his sanity. 

'And you're holding up fine?,' he doesn't bother to conceal the smile in his voice. 

'Yes, thank you for your concern. Don't worry, they won't be dying from my negligence.' Will breathes a sigh of relief, feeling a genuine sense of warmth towards the other man. 

'Thank you, Frederick.' 

  
  
  


He leaves for home as soon as the last speaker ends their talk. The three hour drive is exhausting, and by the time he reaches Virginia all he wants is to be back home. The dogs swarm him when he opens the door, it takes him several minutes to calm them down. 

He didn't stop to eat anywhere, and the extent of his hunger has only become apparent once he's settled in bed. The idea of leaving the house to some fast food place when he's this tired is not appealing in the least. His hunger wins over his tiredness in the end, and he goes to the kitchen to see if there is anything edible in the fridge. He doesn't have to look much at all, because there is a foil wrapped dish of lasagna in there just waiting to be heated. 

Oh, he's definitely getting Frederick to look after the dogs the next time too. 

* * *

  
  
  


Will inspects his ankle carefully. It's swelling up, bad enough to require immediate medical attention. Judging by the fuss Frederick's making, that seems like the wisest decision. 

'How on earth did you manage to fall that bad?' Will has taken plenty of falls running after his dogs, but he was certain the doctor would be more careful than him, considering he already walks with a cane. Unless the cane is for show only, which he wouldn't put past him. 

'I thought I heard something coming from those trees. My foot got stuck in a root when I was-,' he trails off, not looking at him. Will understands, though, with everything he's been through, why he'd choose to run at any suspicious noise in such an exposed area. The dog that Frederick had taken outside to keep him company sits at their feet, wagging her tail. He snaps himself out of his thoughts and helps him up, taking most of his weight. 

'Just try to walk to the car with me. I'm taking you to the hospital,' he says, half-dragging them in the direction of the house. Frederick freezes next to him. 

'It looks worse than it is. Surely we don't need to go to a hospital for something this trivial,' he lets out a nervous laugh, crying out as he shifts his weight.

Oh, right. He hasn't had good memories associated with his recent hospital visits. But Will isn't qualified to deal with sprained ankles, and there's no way of knowing how bad the injury could truly be. 

'You could have a torn ligament and I don't have an x-ray machine at hand to check that. We need to go to the hospital,' he reasons. Frederick visibly slumps, as much as he can in his condition anyway. 

'Fine. But can you please-,' he mumbles something that Will doesn't quite manage to catch. 

'Can I what?,' he asks. Frederick rolls his eyes, but his face reddens as he speaks. 

'Can you please stay in the hospital with me? I really don't want to be there alone.' Will understands what the other man means. He tries not to think about it. 

'Okay, okay. But can we go now?' 

He loads Frederick into the front seat and drives as fast as he can. When he looks at him at a stoplight, he's surprised to see how much pain the doctor looks in. Will squeezes Frederick's knee in reassurance before he can think better of it, and lets his hand stay there till he has to use it to shift the gear again. 

The trip to the ER reveals that he does in fact have a torn ligament. The doctor prescribes him some painkillers and three weeks of bed rest. As they sit back in the car, Frederick angles away from him slightly. 

'Can you give me a drive home? I'll have someone get the car tomorrow.' Will thinks of him in that empty house, three weeks with no one there for him. And no way of visiting Will either. Then he gets a brilliant idea. 

'I have a guest bedroom.'

'Yes, I know. That's very impressive.' Is he going to make him spell it out? 

'I meant you could stay with me till you get better. The dogs have gotten used to you, you know.' _And so have I_ , he thinks, but he doesn't say that part out loud. 

'Well, if you insist,' Frederick makes a show of looking like he doesn't find that idea greatly appealing. Will just rolls his eyes. 

'Come on, let's go home.' 

  
  
  


He ends up staying with Will for more days than planned. The guest bedroom is all the way upstairs, so Will has to take that while Frederick sleeps in his bed. It feels strange having him in the house all day, but not the bad kind of strange. He's surprised that he wouldn't really mind if Frederick stayed a few days longer. It's nice to go to work knowing he'll have someone waiting for him at home when he comes back. When he leaves for home five days later, Will convinces himself that the empty feeling that he has is only because he hasn't had anyone live with him- however briefly- in a very long time, and has nothing to do with Frederick himself whatsoever. 

* * *

  
  


When Frederick's rest period is over, he brings Will a very expensive bottle of whiskey as a thank you gift. Will tries to make him take it back, but to no avail. They reach the compromise that they'll drink it together, and Will puts it away and forgets about it for several months. 

They were already past casual friendship before, but now it's evolved even further. He comes over almost every day, and they have dinner and gripe about their jobs and watch TV together. Frederick is a lot more open and a lot more physically affectionate too now. Will knows where this could head if he doesn't set a clear boundary, but it's not like he hates the attention. 

  
  


One day he comes home from a very long and demanding day at work, and Frederick shows up later looking equally exhausted, and he decides it's time for that whiskey now. 

They've been sitting in almost silence, petting Winston who is sitting between them on the tiny couch. The bottle isn't as empty as he'd like it to be, but there's a pleasant buzz in his head and hey, if he can get a few more servings out it later then he's not complaining. Frederick isn't as talkative as he thought he'd be. They've managed to avoid any personal topics till now, which he is grateful for. There are a few things he wants to know, though, and this is as good a chance as any. 

'Why did you bring me that book the first time you came to visit me?' He starts with the easy one. 

'I thought you would enjoy the thorough takedown of Hannibal Lecter.' 

'So it wasn't at all about showing off your writing abilities?,' Will teases. 

'A little bit of that too,' Frederick admits, laughing. 

'Why did you keep coming back? I don't think you have any good associations with my house.' Frederick's expression darkens, and Will is afraid he's asked the wrong question. 

'I'm sorry I didn't help you-,' he begins, but Frederick cuts him off. 

'You don't have to be. There was nothing you could have done,' he rubs the shot side of his face unconsciously, and Will feels a stab of guilt. 

'Besides, you didn't come out of it unscathed either so,' Frederick shrugs, raising his glass. That is not a rabbit hole he wants to go down, now or ever. 

'Why did you keep coming back here?' Will changes the subject quickly. 

'Why did you keep letting me?,' he challenges. 

'I don't know. Maybe I just need the company,' he hopes this will put an end to it. 

'You could have had that with literally anyone else you know,' Frederick seems intent on not letting it go. 

'Okay, maybe I like having you around. Are you happy now?' Winston has abandoned his position now, and is sniffing at the door with interest, unaware of what his absence is doing. It's just the two of them now, with way too little space between them, and Frederick is looking at him with a stupidly hopeful expression on his face. 

Will isn't blind. He's seen the way Frederick looks at him when he thinks he's not looking, how he leans into every bit of physical contact Will gives him, how he's reluctant to leave when it's time to leave for home. And Will's had every chance to tell him to back off or leave him alone in a roundabout way that won't make him look rude. But he feels comfortable around Frederick- and isn't that a feeling he'd never have associated with the old Frederick- comfortable and wanted and more and more he just wishes Frederick will take the initiative because that way Will won't be to blame when things get ugly. 

But Frederick just keeps staring at the little space between them, so Will leans forward, holds his face between his hands and closes the gap between them.

Frederick kisses back with equal enthusiasm. They break away too soon, and Will finds himself resenting him a little for it. 

'Do you really want to do this, or have I been misreading the signs you've been giving me and this is just a drunken state thing?' He needs to know. 

'I don't think either of us is drunk enough to be able to use that card right now,' Frederick laughs nervously. 

Will drops his hands from Frederick's face and scoots a little away, leaving a decent amount of space between them. 

'What do we do now?'

'Do you really want this?'

'Yes. I think so.' 

'Okay then. I think there's only one thing left to do,' Frederick takes a deep breath, 'Would you like to go on a date with me?' 

Despite Frederick's insistence that they need to go to more places that aren't covered with dog fur all the time, most of their dates are at Will's house. Which suits him fine, because he can't stomach any fancy dates for the foreseeable future. If he never has to differentiate between a salad fork and a dessert fork it'll be too soon. He goes over to Frederick's sometimes, but neither of them particularly enjoy the emptiness that doesn't go away despite how much more cosy it is than his last house. 

When things are still going strong a few months later, Will asks Frederick to move in with him. It isn't much different than the routine they had going on before, except now grocery shopping has become an acceptable date. It makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that he doesn't have to dread the time Frederick will have to head home anymore. This kind of domesticity is still new for him- for Frederick too, he suspects. But he wants to make it work, and that's enough for now. 

* * *

The movie they're watching is hilarious and absurd, and Will can't keep the grin off his face even as he makes scathing remarks about the plot. Frederick is lying half on top of him, not needing to use the _couch is too small we can't both fit any other way_ excuse anymore. They'll both be complaining about how uncomfortable this position was once the movie's over and they're heading to bed. He thinks, as he runs his fingers through Frederick's hair absently, if either of them didn't like it they wouldn't be doing it every day.

He really hopes this will last. 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry man your art is so great and I swear I tried to get a better final product but this is the best I can do


End file.
